Christmas may now be over with the last of the turkey gone from the fridge and that can only mean one thing - it is time to think about getting rid of all the left over waste.

Christmas cards, boxes, unwanted toys and plastic sweet tubs can all be found a new home or be recycled so they can be used again.

Those wanting to recycle their cards can also help raise money for those in Burton who are in need of extra support.

The Octagon Shopping Centre will be teaming up once again with Burton's YMCA to repeat the growing success of recycling the people of Burton's old Christmas cards.

Starting from Boxing Day, December 26, shoppers will be able to bring in their old cards for recycling at the collection bin, which will be placed by the escalators near Poundland, on the ground floor of the centre.

It will be in place until Thursday, January 31.

Christmas cards can be turned into cash for the YMCA (Image: Getty)

The centre will be pledging 30p per kilo of Christmas cards collected and is hoping to raise more than £450 for the charity.

Peter Hardingham, general manager of The Octagon, said: "This initiative has been growing year on year, with our highest amount reaching more than 1,540 kilograms of cards recycled, which is not only a great green initiative, but also valuable in raising essential funds for the local YMCA."

Residents in South Derbyshire are also being encouraged to reduce, reuse and recycle their waste during the festive period and beyond.

Recycling calendars have now dropped onto doormats to detail bin collection dates, including Christmas and New Year, for the next 12 months.

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Councillor Andy MacPherson, chairman of environmental and development services at South Derbyshire District Council, said: "We know that the festive period brings about lots of additional waste, such as cardboard, wrapping paper, Christmas cards, leftover food, empty sweet tubs and more.

"To help get ahead of the game, we would encourage residents to refer to their newly received recycling calendars and/or visit our website to find out what can and cannot be recycled, along with where recycling centres are located in South Derbyshire.

"We would like to thank all of our residents for being conscientious recyclers and helping to make our district a cleaner and greener place."

Seasonal recycling tips and advice will be provided though the council's @southderbyshiredc Facebook page and @SDDC Twitter account.

There will be changes to bin collection times over the Christmas break (Image: Getty)

The authority said that popular items such as glass bottles, plastic bottles, cans, tins, food, paper and cardboard should be recycled as much as possible.